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Nielsen Media Research began measuring viewing habits last month in the estimated 17% of homes that use DVRs. The first data released Thursday included only information from 1,750 homes, but it found that while viewership of a prime-time show increased 73% when people watched a show on DVRs within three days of the first airing, the number of people watching commercials increased only 32%, which means more than half skipped over the ads.

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Up until Nielsen started tracking DVR usage, DVR viewers of network shows were falling through the cracks for both networks and their advertisers. Now that DVR usage is being tracked, including the commercials that are being watched, price negotiations for ads in the current upfronts could be affected.

While broadcast networks are offering up a slew of reality-based TV shows this summer, cable networks have focused more on launching original dramas and comedies. TNT and TBS have five shows set to debut this summer, while Lifetime and USA Network also have new series ready to launch.

Sports channels that narrow their focus to just one sport are becoming more prevalent on cable. The Golf Channel, which is now owned by Comcast, is one shining example, as it's now in 75 million homes, but other sports channels, such as SPEEDtv, are finding their footing with sports fans.

The Sportsman Channel's Mike de Avila took a New York Post reporter bass fishing in Central Park recently. After catching a handbag, the reporter reeled in her first bass. De Avila's reality fishing show, "Lunkerville," travels to bass fishermen's favorite fishing spots around the country.

DVRs are having an impact not only in viewers' homes but also on the shows they're watching. For the first time, Nielsen Media Research revealed the number of viewers who are watching TV shows in a time-shifted mode of play. The DVR data are expected to have a big impact on next month's upfront negotiations, and they will help advertisers determine how often viewers fast-forward through commercials on their DVRs.